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Kruger National Park

Scientific Services

8th Annual Savanna Science Network Meeting 2010 - Presentations

Monday 08 March 2010
Session: Welcome (Chair: Pienaar DJ)
08h00 Welcome Kruger, JM
08h10 Opening Address Magome H
Session: Implementing Adaptive Management
08h30 How well does research in the KNP support SANPARKS' management objectives hierarchy? An overview of all the Kruger Network meetings Erasmus BFN
08h55 Ecosystem services: Reconciling biodiversity and financial objectives? Ferreira SM, Hofmeyr M, Joubert J et al
09h10 Progress and lessons associated with adaptive management of Kruger National Park's river systems McLoughlin CA
09h25 Does it really matter what upsteam users think? – a preliminary study of perspectives and beliefs of water resources management in the Crocodile Catchment Du Toit DR, Biggs H, Pollard SR et al
09h40 Towards freshwater sustainability of the rivers of the Kruger National Park: How well are we doing? Pollard SR, Du Toit DR, Mallory S et al
09h55
DISCUSSION
10h10
TEA
Session: Rivers & Wetlands (Chair: Biggs HC)
10h50 Crocodile deaths in the Kruger National Park Dixon R, Bouwman H, Osthoff G et al
11h05 Preliminary findings of a fish health assessment in the Olifants and lower Letaba Rivers in the Kruger National Park following a crocodile mortality event Huchzermeyer KDA, Govender D, Pienaar D et al
11h20 Biofuels, water and biodiversity management in the Olifants River system, South Africa: a review Gyedu-Ababio T & Venter F
11h35 Poster: The current distribution of the Southern Barred Minnow, Opsaridium peringueyi (Pisces: Cyprinidae) in South Africa: Is there reason for concern? Venter JA, Fouché PSO & Vlok W
11h40 Wetlands of Marakele National Park: Characterisation and Distribution Grundling P, Price JS, Grundling AT et al
11h55 Poster: The South African National Wetland Classification System: Relevance to the wetlands in the Kruger National Park Grundling AT, Price JS, Linstrom A et al
12h00 Spatial and temporal variation of reservoir siltation in selected ecozones of the Kruger National Park – Results of the 2008 reconnaissance survey Baade J, Franz S & Reichel A
12h15
DISCUSSION
12h30
LUNCH
Session: Vertebrate Species Outcomes - autecology, monitoring and trends (Chair: Gaylard A)
14h00 Poster: Population estimates and trends of spotted hyenas in the Kruger National Park from 1984 to 2008 Funston PJ & Ferreira SM
14h05 Baseline results of the 5th Wild Dog and 3rd Cheetah Photographic Census of Greater Kruger National Park Davies-Mostert HT, Burger M, Mills MGL et al
14h20 Poster: Aspect of the ecology of leopards (Panthera pardus) in the Northern Tuli Game Reserve, Botswana Snyman A, Funston PJ & Steyn V
14h25 Poster: Modelling habitat selection of cheetahs in South Africa Marnewick K, & Somers MJ
14h30 Poster: Fine scale resource selection in impala (Aepyceros melampus) Botha J & Marshal JP
14h35 Feral Asian water buffalo in Kakadu National Park, Australia, the ecology and management of Australia's "new megafauna" Bowman DMJS
14h50
TEA
15h20 Poster: Elephants in the Gonarezhou National Park, Zimbabwe – moving towards an integrated management plan for the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area (GLTFCA) Van der Westhuizen E, Zizadsa P, Gandiwa E et al
15h25 Poster: DNA-Based identification of individual White Rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) from horn and other samples for forensic use Harper CK, Peppin L, Ludwig A et al
15h30 Poster: Assessment, implementation and preliminary results of the implementation of patagial tagging on southern African Vultures Botha AJ
15h35 How successfully are small vertebrates conserved? Deacon AR
15h50
DISCUSSION
19h00
GALA DINNER: Skukuza Golf Club: Registered delegates only
Tuesday 09 March 2010
Session: Landscape-level drivers & mechanisms (Chair: McLoughlin CA)
08h00 Mineral controls on organic carbon turnover in sub-humid African savannas Khomo L, Trumbore S, Chadwick O et al
08h15 Poster: Catenal Elements in the Southern Granites and Basalts of Kruger national Park Cullum CJ & Rogers KH
08h20 Climate and weathering as modifiers of catena morphology Chadwick O, Khomo L, Levick S et al
08h35 Self organization in Shingwedzi vegetation, theory vs reality Barichievy C & Rogers KH
08h50 A comparison of soil water dynamics across selected geologies, vegetation zones, and climate zones in the Kruger National Park Lorentz SA, Riddell ES, Ngcobo NB et al
09h05 Wetland hydrology in the lowveld – lessons from the Sand River headwaters Riddell ES & Lorentz SA
09h20 Towards understanding impacts of water supplementation in a heterogeneous landscape Farmer H, Witkowski Ed & Peel M
09h35 Climatic, Topo-edaphic, Fire, and Herbivore Controls on Woody Plant Carbon Storage at the Landscape Scale in Kruger National Park Colgan MS, Asner GP & Levick SR
09h50 Poster: Spatial and temporal variability of carbon fluxes in African ecosystems – a CarboAfrica synthesis study Kutsch WL, Merbold L, and Scholes RJ
09h55 DISCUSSION
10h15
TEA
Session: Landscape-level drivers & mechanisms (Chair: Scheepers K)
10h50 Poster: Ecological niche factor analysis for modelling distribution of cattle and buffalo at the wildlife–livestock interface of the Kruger National Park Van Schalkwyk OL, De Pus C, De Clercq EM et al
10h55 Poster: Rainfall, Primary Production and Cattle density relationships in South East Lowveld of Zimbabwe Poshiwa X, Heitkönig IMA ,Murwira A et al
11h00 Endemic anthrax in the herbivores of Etosha National Park: a disease and movement ecology perspective focusing on zebra, elephants, and scavengers Getz WM, Bellan S, Brashares J et al
Session: Human Interface - people park relationships (Chair: Scheepers K)
11h15 Poster: Key perceptions and needs of communal livestock farmers in the Bushbuckridge district adjacent to the Greater Kruger National Park, RSA Van Rooyen J, Vandamme E, Madder M et al
11h20 Poster: Choice modeling of tourist preferences and willingness to pay for ecotourism in rural communities around Kruger National Park Chaminuka P, Selomane AO , Groeneveld R et al
11h25 Poster: Exploring large scale spatial arrangements of land uses for the sustainable management of wildlife through protected area: A bio-economical model of the Hwange elephant population Guerbois C, Doyen L & Fritz H
11h30
DISCUSSION
11h50
LUNCH
Session: Mapping and tracking vegetation change (Chair: Smit IPJ)
13h30 Poster: Mapping sodic sites in the Kruger National Park, using object-based image classification techniques on multispectral data - the results Kleyn L, Erasmus BFN & Smit IPJ
13h35 Poster: Mapping of Bush encroaching species at canopy level using CAO Intergrated Hyperspectral & LiDAR Data Naidoo L, Mathieu R, Cho M et al
13h40 Poster: SAR-monitoring concept and estimation of woody cover by means of the SIR-C/X-SAR Kruger National Park data set Vollrath A, Smit I, Lück W et al
13h45 Poster: Woody cover elements and attributes using satellite imagery, colour aerial photography derived surface models and object-based classification Lück W & Kleyn L
13h50 Calculating tree wood and leaf biomass in savannas Kirton A, Scholes RJ & Archibald S
14h05 Poster: Spatial estimation of herbaceous biomass using remote sensing in a southern African savanna Dwyer PC, Erasmus BFN, Witkowski ETF et al
14h10
DISCUSSION
14h35
TEA
Landuse: a driver & its outcomes (Chair: Smit IPJ)
15h20 A spatially explicit analysis of the impact of rural resource extraction on vegetation structure Fisher JT, Erasmus BFN, Witkowski ETF et al
15h35 Poster: Spatial and temporal changes in vegetation cover in and around Gonarezhou National Park, South-East lowveld of Zimbabwe Zisadza P, Murungweni C, Murwira A et al
15h40 Poster: Impact of land use on tree canopy height distributions: comparison of CAO Lidar data for Kruger NP, SabiSand and communal areas Wessels KJ, Mathieu R , Asner GP et al
15h45
DISCUSSION
Wednesday 10 March 2010
Session: Fire & herbivory drivers & mechanisms (Chair: Govender N)
08h00 Causes and consequences of a ‘fire storm’ in a forest-savanna mosaic Bond W, Browne C, & Midgley J
08h15 Convergence and contingencies in North American and South African savanna grassland responses to fire and grazing Smith MD, Knapp AK, Collins SL et al
08h30 Savannna woody plant trait responses to disturbance (browsing and fire) along a rainfall and nutrient gradient Wigley BJ, Fritz H & Bond WJ
08h45 Investigating the vulnerability of marula stems to fire and bark stripping Helm CV
09h00 Effects of landscape location, elephants and fire on large tree mortality in the Kruger National Park: a multimodel information theoretic approach Vanak AT, Shannon G, Page B et al
09h15 Fire frequency, vegetation structure, and sable antelope (Hippotragus niger) habitat use in the Pretoriuskop region Loarie SR, Le Roux E, Levick S et al
09h30 Effects of fire frequency on herbivory and herbivore behavior Chamane S, Kirkman KP, Smith MD et a
09h45
TEA
10h15 Poster: A spatial model of elephant, vegetation and fire dynamics for scenario-based adaptive management simulations Kiker GA
10h20 Dynamics of grazing lawn formation in African savanna grasslands Cromsigt JPGM
10h35 Different assembly processes form grasshopper and grass communities in bunch and lawn grasslands in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park Van der Plas F, Anderson TM & Olff H
10h50 The spatial extent of termite influences on large herbivore browsing in African savanna Levick SR & Asner GP
11h05 Litter removal by termites is affected by environmental variables and grazing Buitenwerf R, Stevens N, Gosling C et al
11h20
DISCUSSION
Session: Plant Species Outcomes - autecology, monitoring and trends (Chair: Bezuidenhout H)
11h30 Re-analysis of past woody vegetation monitoring efforts to estimate historic woody vegetation cover and populations in the Kruger National Park Kiker GA
11h45 Poster: The Death of a Giant: On the age of Baobabs Woodborne S, Hall G, Basson S et al
11h50 Native trees in Southern Africa increasingly threatened by decline and death Roux J, van der Merwe S, Malan R et al
12h05 Population biology and ecology of the critically endangered succulent Adenium Swazicum Van der Walt K
12h20 Do soil biota enhance invasiveness of Chromolaena odorata in South African savannas? te Beest M, Stevens N, Olff H et al
12h35
DISCUSSION
12h45
LUNCH
AFTERNOON FREE
Thursday 11 March 2010
Session: Elephants as driver & responder (Chair: Ferreira SM)
07h30 Two decades of elephant individual tracking: what have we learnt and is it useful in the context of the 'elephant debate'? Chamaillé-Jammes S
07h45 Can we REALLY learn anything more about elephant impacts? Gaylard A, Rogers KH & Owen-Smith N
08h00 Poster: How many elephants can the KNP support? A modeling study Scheiter S & Higgins SI
08h05 The spatial dynamics of riparian woodland change caused by elephants in northern Botswana Teren G, Owen-Smith N & Erasmus BF
08h20 Culling & water provision affects river-bound spatial dynamics of elephants Smit IPJ. & Ferreira SM
08h35 What limits elephants? Some thoughts emerging from modelling the dynamics of the Venetia population Page BR & O’Connor TG
08h50 Shifting mosaics in savanna vegetation mediated by overlapping home ranges of a large and a small browser Duffy KJ & Page BR
09h05 Different sized herbivores determine woody species structure and species assemblages Lagendijk G, Page BR & Slotow R
09h20 Poster: Foraging strategy within African elephant family units: why body size matters Woolley LA, Page BR & Slotow R
09h25 The seasonal and circadian rhythms of terrain-use by African Elephants De Knegt H, Van Langevelde F, Van Wieren S et al
09h40
DISCUSSION
09h50
TEA
Session: Human Interface - resource use & livelihoods (Chair: Swemmer L)
10h20 Is a firewood crisis looming in Bushbuckridge? Revisiting and re-evaluating the dire predictions of Banks et al (1996) Matsika R, Twine W & Erasmus BFN
10h35 Could fuelwood harvesting on the western boundary of the Kruger National Park be sustainable? Swemmer AM
10h50 Poster: An enthnobotanical survey of wild plant use in the southern Kalahari, South Africa Mannetti L
10h55 Towards a strategy for prioritizing resource use projects in SANParks
 Scheepers K
11h10 Understanding bio-physical, socio-economic and cultural-spiritual vulnerability in the context of livelihoods and biodiversity: experiences from the LiveDiverse project in the Greater Kruger, Vietnam, India and Costa Rica Gooch GD
11h25 Poster: Sustainability in Communal Socio-Ecological Systems (SUCSES): Establishing a linked rural livelihoods and environment monitoring system in the lowveld Twine W, Hunter LM, Collinson M et al
11h30 Linking conservation with agriculture –fruit crop productivity of NE South Africa depends on savanna’s biodiversity
 Carvalheiro LG, Seymour C, Veldtman R et al
10h45
DISCUSSION
Session: Species outcomes - understanding drivers & their mechanisms (Chair: Grant CC)
12h05 Comparative water dependency of Sable antelope and Zebra in Kruger National Park Cain JW, Owen-Smith N, & Macandza VA
12h20 Disappearance of sable antelope (Hippotragus niger) from the Pretoriuskop region: a consequence of diminished nutrient availability or enhanced risk of predation? Le Roux E, Loarie ,S Levick S et al
12h35
LUNCH
14h00 Disappearing sable antelope: what have we learnt? Owen-Smith N, Macandza V, Chirima J et al
14h15 What is influencing patchy space-use by wildebeests in central-western Kruger? Yoganand K & Owen-Smith N
14h30 Poster: African ungulates and their drinking problems: how sport hunting, in addition of natural predation, constrains the temporal use of surface-water by ungulates in African savannas Crosmary W, Madzikanda H, Côté SD et al
14h35 Fangs or food: explaining herbivore distributions from predation risk and habitat selection Thaker M, Vanak AT, Ogden M et al
14h50
TEA
15h20 In search of physiological and behavioural mechanisms of South African ungulates to cope with changing climate Shrestha AK, Van Wieren SE, BieS et al
15h35 Gnus, gerbils and nitrogen-cycle feedbacks – a paired 15N tracer study Drake DC
15h50 Poster: Plant diversity turn-over along disturbance gradients within the Nkhuhlu exclosures, Kruger National Park Kloppers P, Siebert F & Siebert S
15h55 Woody vegetation change at the Nkuhlu herbivore exclusion experiment: 2002-2007 Scogings PF, Hjältén J & Johansson T
16h10
DISCUSSION
Friday 12 March 2010
Session: Abiotic drivers and modulators of vegetation outcomes (Chair: Freitag-Ronaldson S)
07h30 Production ecology of the Greater Kruger Park system Scholes RJ, Hanan N, Kutsch WL et al
07h45 Long-term temporal deposition of biogeochemically important trace species at Skukuza Kleynhans EH, Pienaar JJ, Beukes JP et al
08h00 Poster: Variability of vegetation productivity across different land use types in the greater Kruger park region Cho MA, Mathieu R, Erasmus BFN et al
08h05 Important metrics for savanna productivity Sinden L, Scholes RJ, Archibald S et al
08h20 Tree stress in the pre-rain period – initial analysis of the costs of early-greening Archibald S, Kirton A, Woodborne S et al
08h35 The optimal growing season length in savannas Higgins SI, Prior L & Hutley LB
08h50 Poster: Landscape and leaf-level phenological patterns of grasses and trees in an African savanna Delgado-Cartay MD, Combrick H J, Higgins SI et al
08h55 Experimental manipulation of cues for leaf-phenological events in a savanna system Combrink HJ, Higgins S and February EC
09h10 N resorption and tree persistence in a grassy matrix February EC, Williams S, Combrink H and Higgins S
09h25 Poster: Spatio-temporal variation of phenology and rainfall in Kruger National Park, South Africa: consequences for predicting climate change influence on biodiversity Parrini F & Erasmus BFN
09h30 Poster: A depth-controlled tracer technique measures vertical, horizontal and temporal patterns of water use by plants in a sub-tropical savanna Kulmatiski A, Verweij RJT, Beard KH, February EC & Mazzacavallo M
09h35 Poster: Comparison of Colophospermum mopane landscape distribution patterns at range edges and non-range edges Stevens N, & Swemmer AM
09h40 Poster: Is spring the new summer? Using citizen science to find out Thompson D
09h45 Poster: Adapting to climate change in a diverse landscape: the Kruger-Canyons Biosphere Reserve Davis C, Stevens N, Archer E et al
09h50 Water, nutrients and productivity partitioning: an isotopic approach Woodborne S, Hall G & Scholes RJ
10h05 Hyperspectral remote sensing techniques for grass nutrient estimations in savannah ecosystems Ramoelo A, Cho M, Mathieu R et al
10h20 Poster: Assessing post-flood vegetation change along a section of the Sabie River, Kruger National Park Ayres P, Siebert F & Siebert S
10h25
DISCUSSION
10h35 Wrap up Palmer T
10h50 Thanks and meeting closure Pienaar DJ